Mop



March 10, 1931. J c HUNTER 1,795,651

MOP

Filed March 22, 1929 fi i z LEE 9.4:

Patented Mar. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN C. HUNTER, OI CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JACOB MEERSE, F

- CINCINNATI, OHIO MOP Application filed March 22, 1929. Serial No. 349,233.

My invention relates to mops provided with strands of fiber for cleaning purposes. It is the object of my invention to provide a mop with'a flat spring structure of substantial length between the handle and the.

vide novel means for releasably attaching the head and permitting the head to turn so as to present either of its side flatwise to the floor; and, further, to provide novel means (fior securing the spring structure to the han- My invention will be further readily un- 2 derstood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved mop, with the handle partly'broken away, and the spring structure in unfiexed relation.

Fig. 2 is a similar View, showing the spring structurein flexed relation. i i

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my improved device, partly broken away, and partly in section in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4: is a longitudinal section of the same, taken in the planeof the line H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line 55"of Fig. 4.

Fi 6 is a plan view of the head and its attac ing means, the latter taken in section in the plane of the line 66 of Fig. 4; and,

Fig; 7 is a cross-section of a detail, taken in the plane of the line 77 of Fig. 8.

11 represents the mop-head, which is built up of strands or cords of fiber, the strands 12 being clamped intermediate of their ends between the twisted wires 13, which are shown as forming a loop 14, preferably in the form of an ellipse, andhaving the ends 15 thereof presented toward each otherand received in a tube 16, which is preferably of metal, the ends of the tube being swaged, as at 17, upon the twisted wire, to hold the wires 5 in place and form the head. Cushion-rings 18 are located on the respective end portions of the tube.

21 is the handle, which is in the form of a shank of suitable length for ready manipulation. There is a resilient section 22 of substantial length between the handle and the head, which is bendable, for instance, as shown in Fig. 2,.so that the head 11 ma be readily pushed under radiators or in shallow spaces under pieces of furniture or other obj ects, while the mop-head lies flat on the floor and has full contact with the floor throughout its area. The head is also preferably rotatable on the resilient section so as to present either side ofthe head to the floor.

The resilient section is shown as a leafspring structure, the upper end of which is secured to the lower end of the handle, and the lower end of which is provided with a releasing bearing received about the attaching part of the head, exemplified as the tube 16.

This leaf-spring structure is shown as comprising a pair of spring leaves 25, extending downwardly from the handle. The lower end of the handle is provided with a slot 26, and with an annular rabbet 27. The upper ends of the spring leaves are preferably secured to ether, as by spot welding shown at 28.

The side edges of the springs are at their upper ends provided with rabbets 29.. The" extreme upper ends of the springs are preferably provided with teeth 30. A ferrule 31 is received in the annular rabbet 27 in the lower end of the handle and in the rabbets 29 the'side edges of the upper ends of the springs.

Theteeth 3O atthe upper ends of the leaf springs arepreferably imbedded in the wood of the handle, being froced lengthwise into the upper wall of the slot 26 in the handle. A pin 35 is received in holes in the ferrule, in the wings 36 at the respective sides of the slot 26 in the handle, and in holes in thespring leaves, a clip 37 on the pin being received part way about the ferrule and clamping the pininplace.

i The lower ends of the spring leaves are pro- .vided with bearing-parts, which are clamped toward each other about the tube 16 between the cushion-rings 1'8. The lower ends of the spring leaves are preferably bent to form the bearing-parts 41, which are received about the tube 16 to form a bearing about said tube,

in which the tube is rotatable, so that the mop-head may be rotated in its bearing for presenting either of its sides flatwise to the oor.

A slide 42 is slidable lengthwise on the spring leaves, and is received about the spring leaves as a clamping band to press the bearing-parts toward each other about the attach.- ing part on the head, when the slide is moved toward said bearing parts.

This slide extends a substantial distance along the spring structure so as to stiffen the spring structure adjacent. to the head, and to remove the point of fiexure of the spring structure a distance from the head, in order that the head may be moved to greater dis tance under objects without having the spring structure interfere with said objects. lhis arrangement of parts places the point of flexure of the spring structure closer to the handle. Endwise shifting is also permitted between the spring leaves in the clamp-slide for ready fiexure of: the spring leaves when a plurality of adjacent spring leaves is employed.

In order to lock the clamp-slide in adjusted position, the mating faces between one of the spring leaves and the clamp-slide are provided with holes 4:5 and with a projection 46, the. holes being shown in the spring leaf and the complemental projection in the clamp slide, There is sufiicient resilient yield between the parts to. permit the projection to be pushed past the holes or to permit the projection to be received in any one of the registering holes for locking the clamp slide in adjusted position.

If it is; desired to attach the head to the handle, the slide 42. is moved along the spring leaves toward the handle for permittin the bearingpartsto be separated sothat the bearing-partsmay be forced about the tube in the space between the cushion-rings 18 on the respective ends. of the tube. The clamp-slide is then moved toward the bearing, exerting pressure upon the bearing-parts to clamp the tube between the bcaringsparts, the projection 16 being received progressively in the holes 45, as the, clamp-slide is moved toward the bearing, and holding the clamp-slide in the adjusted position on the spring leaves to which it may have been moved in clamping the bearing-parts about the tube.

The mop may be used as an ordinary mop without flexure of the flexible section, the flexible section being sufliciently stiff for such use. If, however, it is desired to reach under a radiator or piece of furniture or into a shallow space underan object, downward pressure is exerted upon the handle, whereby the flexible section is flexed for arranging the lower end of the flexible. section to desired extent lengthwise of the floor or at an angle to the handle, with the mop-head fiat upon the floor, in which relation the mophead may be pushed to full extent under an object.

The mop-head may also be rotatable in its bearing for presenting either side of the same to the floor. The cushion-rings 18 extend radially beyond the bearing 41 so as to prevent contact of any metal parts. of the brush likely to scratch the floor, with the floor, any contact with the floor being made by the cushion-rings. These cushion-rings may be sections of rubber hose.

My invention prov-ides a simple structure, readily manipulated, easily assembled and taken apart, and permits obscure recesses to be readily cleaned.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A mop comprising a head including an attaching part, a shank-handle, and a resilient fiat leaf-spring structure extending in the direction of the length of said shankhandle and secured at its respective ends to said attaching part and to the lower end of said handle, said resilient flat leaf-spring structure extending a substantial distance between the lower end of said handle and said attaching part and being bodily flexible flatwise for arranging said handle at various angles to the plane of said head, substantially as described.

2. A mop comprisin a head including an attaching part, a shan -handle, and a resilient flat leaf-spring structure comprising a pair of parallel flat spring leaves having their fiat faces presented toward each other and secured at their respective ends to said at- 1 taching part and to said handle, said spring leaves extending a substantial distance be tween said handle and said attaching part and being flexible for positioning said head laterally at a distance from the longitudinal axis of said handle by the bending of said spring leaves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

JOHN C. HUNTER. 

